In today’s world of non-stop information and endless social network notifications, it’s hard to find the time to concentrate on just one story, never mind finishing a full-length novel. The Netherlands’ VertragingsApp has already encouraged train passengers to discover short story authors based on their delay time, and now a new project has created a range of fiction titles for customers of Australia’s Qantas airline, selected to correspond with flight times.

Titled A Story For Every Journey, the project is a collaboration with Sydney-based ad agency Droga5. The campaign used statistics from publishing house Hachette to discern that the average reader can finish around 200 to 300 words – or one page – each minute. Taking into account time set aside for meals and naps, customers should be able to read the books in exactly the time it takes to set off and land. The range was selected while keeping in mind the airline’s Platinum Flyers demographic – mostly male customers – meaning they suitably span the thriller, crime and nonfiction genres. Penned by notable Australian authors and stylishly designed by UK-based agency Paul Belford, the airline is hoping to attract an upmarket audience by offering the novels on its extended flights.

Given that airplanes are one of the few places where use of electronic devices is actually discouraged, the books could take off with those who fly regularly. Are there other ways to tailor literature to different reading environments to help consumers rediscover the novel?

Website: www.droga5.com.au
Contact: www.droga5.com.au/contact

Libraries and book publishers are now having to compete with the digital publishing world if they want to survive. We’ve already seen Ljubljana City Library create surprise book packs based on genre to engage its customers, and now Australia-based project Mailbooks For Good is making it easier for readers to donate books to charity once they’ve read them, by including dustjackets that double as pre-paid, pre-addressed envelopes.

Conceived through a collaboration between creative agency BMF and The Footpath Library charity, the idea is a fairly simple one – dust jackets are redesigned to include flaps that, when flipped around, turn into sturdy packaging that can be wrapped around the book and sealed. The reverse is pre-addressed with the details of The Footpath Library and the postage is pre-paid, although the retail price is slightly higher than standard books. Once they’ve been sent, the charity distributes the books to homeless and poor people who don’t have easy access to literature. The video below explains more about the concept:

The scheme has already struck a deal with Random House to publish a range of popular titles with the dustjackets and readers can find them at Gleebooks bookstores in Sydney. It is now hoping to partner with global literacy charities. One to get involved with?

Website: www.mailbooksforgood.com
Contact: contact@mailbooksforgood.com

Spotted by: Murray Orange

Australia-based OwnMutually is offering fractional ownership through their new platform, with an emphasis on users sharing items they’d like to part-own through their social networks in order to encourage their friends to join them.

Members of the site first list the item they are looking to part-own, with images, information and the number of people they would like to share it with. Users can then easily share the listing on social networks to enlist their friends – or friends of friends – to take part in the scheme. Interested parties pledge to pay their share of the item’s cost and the money is transferred only when the target number of people is reached. Once the item is purchased, users can schedule when they want to use it through the micro social network on the OwnMutually platform.

OwnMutually taps into users’ existing networks of acquaintances to find fellow sharers, keeping ownership on a local and manageable scale. The platform hopes to launch at the end of April.

Website: www.ownmutually.com
Contact: hello@ownmutually.com

Spotted by: Murray Orange

Only those who have been around a while will remember the old analog cassette tape that so faithfully enabled friends to share their musical favorites all those many years ago, but Sharetapes aims to offer a modern version of the same experience. The Australian company now offers retro-styled physical cards that can be used to share playlists or other content from numerous media sites.

Users who want to share their music or other media begin by buying a package of five blank Sharetapes from the company site; pricing is AUD 6.99. Next, they can use their favorite platforms such as Spotify, YouTube or 8tracks to create personalized playlists, which can easily be saved onto one of those cards. Users can then share their “tapes” with friends by smartphone – recipients simply tap with NFC or scan the sharetape using any QR code reader app – or via the Sharetapes site.

Besides helping friends share their music, Sharetapes can also be used as demo tapes for bands, to enable designers or artists to link to an online portfolio, or for marketing and fundraising purposes, the company notes. Media-minded entrepreneurs: one to get in on?

Website: www.sharetapes.com
Contact: info@sharetapes.com

Spotted by: Murtaza Patel

There are few things more gratifying than learning a new skill, but there’s nothing wrong with accepting a little help along the way. We’ve already seen Gyrobike’s Gyrowheel aimed at helping kids learn to ride a bicycle, and recently we came across Boarder Kontrol, a like-minded idea from the world of snowboarding.

Stopping and turning are two of the greatest challenges for beginning snowboarders, and that’s where Australian Streetboardz comes in with a board that includes a removable braking device. Consisting essentially of a blade that extends below the board and an attached leash, Boarder Kontrol allows users to slow or stop their snowboard simply by pulling on the leash. Rather than serving simply as a crutch for beginners, however, Boarder Kontrol also “forces the discipline of a trailing hand,” Streetboardz explains. “For years before, particularly when teaching surfboard riders, instructors would make beginners hold their pants at the back leg to prevent beginners’ shoulders from spinning the board out of control.” Engaging the leash also naturally puts the beginner’s weight over the front foot, where it should be, it notes. And as users progress, they can be gradually weaned off the braking device. The video below demonstrates Boarder Kontrol in action:

By removing a significant portion of the “terror” associated with learning this popular sport, Boarder Kontrol has the potential to “decrease dropouts, attract female and younger participants, keep family groups together and even widen the market to the risk averse,” notes Streetboardz, which has also developed a similar device for skateboards. Recreation and fitness entrepreneurs: one to get involved in?

Website: www.streetboardz.net/boarderkontrol
Contact: info@streetboardz.net

Spotted by: Murtaza Patel

Employees of large companies are all ideally working towards the same end, but sometimes a lack of face-to-face communication can result in crossed wires. Coffee Who is an app that uses smart algorithms to pair up workers for one-on-one coffee dates, with the aim of fostering collaboration and boosting morale.

Businesses using Coffee Who first get their employees to create their own profiles on a micro social network. According to reports, the platform then matches staff members using their uploaded information – with the aim of linking those who could work together or benefit from learning about the other person’s role in the company. Alternatively, management can manually select two employees to meet up. A theme is assigned to each meeting to help guide discussion, and when it’s over the participants fill out a feedback form that helps Coffee Who determine future matches.

Much like 15Five – the platform for helping management keep in touch with staff members individually – Coffee Who aims to ensure greater cohesion between different departments and hierarchies of bigger firms. Are there other ways to ensure employees feel more involved in their company?

Website: www.coffeewho.com
Contact: www.coffeewho.com/contact

Spotted by: Katharina Kieck

Photo: Shutterstock

Considering the long journeys many people in areas with poor access to water have to undergo every day, making the washing process easier could make a world of difference. The GiraDora is one recent innovation that has aimed take the pain out of non-electric washing, and now the Scrubba is an ultra-portable device that can clean clothes with minimal amounts of water.

The Scrubba is a wash bag made of lightweight material that can be folded and fitted into a large pocket. Several items of clothes can be washed in one go, using only a couple of liters of water and a small amount of soap. Users place the water, soap and clothes into the bag, seal it and firmly rub the device for around 20 or 30 seconds. The inside of the bag contains small nodules that help the cleaning process. Once the water is decanted, the clothes can be hung up to dry and another wash can be carried out. The Scrubba is designed for travelers – who could use the bag to avoid having to find and pay for a laundromat, while also lightning their load – but it is easy to see how those without electricity or abundant water supplies could also benefit. The video below shows the device in action:

The Scrubba is available to buy worldwide in black, red or blue for AUD 59.95. How else could daily activities be made easier for those with few resources?

Website: www.thescrubba.com
Contact: info@thescrubba.com

Sleeplessness can be bad for business and personal creativity, and there have already been numerous attempts to help people be more flexible with their shut-eye, from Sleepbox napping pods to desktop pillows. Now the Re-Timer device uses light to realign wearers’ bodyclocks and combat tiredness.

Considering our bodies use sunlight to guide our sleeping patterns, a lack of it in the daytime can cause problems when it comes to getting to bed at the right time. The Re-Timer headset gives the eyes a dose of non-UV green light that can help to increase alertness at the correct times of the day or reset bodyclocks that have been upset by insomnia or long-haul travel. The device could be used by regular travelers, those with medical sleeping problems or shift workers to tackle fatigue and increase productivity. Re-Timer is portable and comes with a travel case, while charging can be carried out by plugging it into a laptop via USB. The website also offers a free jetlag calculator which tells users when they will need to use the headset based on their flight times. The device is priced at AUD 273.90. The video below shows the Re-Timer in action:

The Re-Timer is a safe way for workers and those with medical conditions to re-adjust their bodyclock and be alert at the times they need it most. How else could sleeplessness be remedied?

Website: www.re-timer.com
Contact: www.re-timer.com/contact-us

Spotted by: Murray Orange

One aspect of staying at a hotel that can add to the stress of a holiday is having to check out at a time specified. While Your24 has already offered one solution, allowing guests to stipulate what time they leave upon booking, Art Series Hotels is going one step further with its Overstay Checkout campaign, which will enable customers to keep the room for as long as they want if no-one is due to check in.

Guests booking a room at one of the Australian hospitality company’s three hotels between 16 December this year and 13 January 2013 can request an Overstay Checkout on the morning they are due to leave. The hotel will then check to see when the next customers will be arriving and work out the latest time the stay can be extended to – which could be a few extra hours or a day later. This service will be offered to the first guests each day who request the service and will come at no extra cost to customers. There is also no limit to the number of times an Overstay Checkout can be requested, meaning that it is possible to stay many free nights in a row.

The campaign makes guests’ stays more relaxing by offering flexibility, increasing the chances they will choose the hotel again. How else can hotels treat their customer base?

Website: www.artserieshotels.com.au
Contact: info@artserieshotels.com.au

Spotted by: Murray Orange

The internet has helped charities benefit from a variety of ways to encourage donations – take France-based TousDonateurs as an example with its ad revenue fundraising model – but awareness and engagement can still be a challenge. Unhappy with the lack of coverage given to important humanitarian issues on mainstream media outlets, international aid charity Médecins Sans Frontières has created its own online channel, MSF.TV.

MSF has been helping to provide medical aid to the needy in war-torn or disease-afflicted locations since its inception in 1971. The new channel hopes to keep viewers informed of its activities as well as feature news and programming that will raise awareness of crises currently ongoing. Created by the Australian branch of the organization, the channel is hosted on YouTube and is on air 24 hours a day, broadcasting both pre-recorded programs and live interviews with those working in the field. The feed can be viewed live, or individual programs can be watched again at any time. The site also hosts a TV guide to let viewers know screening times. The video below acts as a trailer for the channel:

MSF.TV acts as a way to give donors more information on the charity’s activities as well as providing a news stream of current events that aren’t covered elsewhere. How else could charities and non-profits exploit new media to raise awareness of important issues and drive donations?

Website: www.msf.tv
Contact: office@sydney.msf.org